1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tactile input/output device for representing and manipulating computer-generated surfaces. Moreover, the invention also pertains to a novel system and method for implementing the forgoing aspects.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The human brain is uniquely designed to be capable of viewing and manipulating 3-d visual objects. In presently known current visualization systems, three-dimensional data is normally represented on a computer display screen essentially depriving the user of the ability to directly manipulate the object. Moreover, conventional computer display systems only provide for a 2-dimensional representation of 3-dimensional objects, resulting only in the provision of an indirect interface between the shape of the object and the human user who is designing or operating on the surface. Accordingly, the present invention opens the door to a concept for visualizing and manipulating data directly through the use of a novel haptic (touch) device. The invention also provides an important tool for visually impaired users who cannot use current display technologies to be able to interact with 3-D data.
The formation of a 3-D visual design is often guided by constraints, whereby, for example, it is relatively easy to represent these constraints mathematically; however, it is difficult to reveal them to the user while they are engaged in the design process. Representing these constraints using a tactile interface permits the user to feel the constraints directly, in that the user is prevented from moving into protected regions, and can provide this information without cluttering up the scene with indirect visual indicators.
In currently employed systems, there is no possibility to have the “softness” or “hardness” of a shape to be communicated, in effect, a limitation that can be easily overcome by a system that communicates the material properties of the shape in a tactile manner. This can be applied in order to guide the designer of the shape based on the material, like a sculptor, or convey some attribute of the shape, facilitating that this could be a physical attribute, such as its strength, or a metaphysical attribute, such as the rigidness of a constraint.
There are various known solutions in the technology, which, however, are subject to drawbacks and limitations in contrast with the present invention. Thus, for instance, there are known passive devices that enable one to probe the shape of a surface but which do not allow the user to change it through the employed device. For example, there are devices based on the Phantom technology that permit the user to receive tactile feedback through an individual probe about points on a 3-D computer-based object. For visually impaired users, there are cardboard relief objects, or objects made through the user of layered manufacturing techniques that facilitate an appreciation of a large terrain, such as a relief map. Also, there are output devices that provide a small, static array of pins as the interface, but these are fixed to one spatial location and only offer output to the user, not input. However, these are not dynamic and are not editable in nature.